


putting the 'u' in trust

by Megatraven



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Background Chlonino if you squint, Chicken Soup, Depression, F/M, Gen, Holding Hands, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Lots of Crying, Neglect, Pillow & Blanket Forts, ask to tag, lots of hugging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-21 21:09:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11365677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megatraven/pseuds/Megatraven
Summary: When a certain superhero collapses on her terrace, Alya finds out more than she ever expected.





	1. Poor, Unfortunate Soul

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



When Chat Noir showed up on her family's balcony, Alya was ecstatic.

And when he collapsed, any and all excitement she had felt melted into worry and fear. She rushed forward and shook his shoulders, her brow creased and her actions frantic.

"Chat? Chat Noir?" she said, punctuating each shake. When that didn't amount to anything, she stopped and looked over his body for any reason why he would've just fallen as he did. Nothing stood out to her, and the only blood she could see was that coming from a small scratch on his chin.

Just as she moved to turn him over, his ring beeped loudly, three times, and she only had enough time to look alarmed before the transformation dropped. Her hands flew to her face, but it was too late- even if she hadn't seen the person's face, she'd seen his familiar white jacket, his favorite striped shirt, and a one-of-a-kind blue scarf hanging from his neck.

Peeking out from between her fingers, she saw the blond mop of hair that she loved running her fingers through, and slowly her hands lowered. His head lolled to the side, and she could see a few scratches on his neck, similar to the one on his chin. His hands appeared to be in a similar condition, scratched as if he'd fallen and used his palms to break his fall.

"Adrien..." she breathed, looking for any sign he was hurt more than the scrapes and scratches. When she didn't see any after gentle prodding and careful observing, she sighed in relief.

Something cleared its throat, and Alya jumped a little. She looked for the source, and her eyes finally landed on a tiny cat, floating in the air with it ears down.

"Help him. Please," they said. Their tail swished back and forth in an agitated manner, and Alya couldn't help but feel sad for it.

"I'm going to," she promised. "Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"He... he just found out something awful. But before that, he's been neglecting eating, aside from when he was out with you. He ran for awhile. Fell a few times. Then remembered he could transform, and came straight here." They turned to look at the boy propped up by Alya's knees, and their ears drooped further. "I dropped the transformation. It goes against everything, but I dropped the transformation." They looked back at her. "Please help him."

"Y-yeah. Of course..." she hesitated, a question hanging in the air.

"Plagg."

"Of course, Plagg. My family's not home, so you don't have to worry about someone else finding out who he is. I'll bring him to my room and do whatever I can."

Sliding out from underneath him, she stood and wondered what the best way of getting him to her bed would be. She immediately discarded the idea of dragging him there by his feet, as well as the idea that he could stay there until he woke up himself. She instead grabbed his arm and put it around his shoulder, lifting him from the ground easier than she anticipated. That, unfortunately, didn't put her worries to ease, because it meant Plagg was right when he said Adrien had been neglecting his needs.

With a grunt, she carried him from the balcony and to her room, gently laying him on her bed. It didn't look like he was going to wake up just then, so she went and grabbed the first aid kit from the kitchen and started cleaning his hands and the other cuts that littered his body. After wrapping a thin layer of gauze over his hands, she set the kit down and sat on the edge of her bed, watching him with a frown and heavy heart.

"Thanks, kid," Plagg said, floating past her and nestling against Adrien.

"No problem, I'm glad I could help him. I'm- I'm gonna go get him something to eat for when he wakes up." She paused before asking, "Do you want anything?"

"Camembert."

She waited for them to say something more, but only the sound of breathing continued. Realizing Plagg wouldn't be saying anything else, Alya got up and went to the kitchen, gathering the materials necessary to make something that would be easy on Adrien's stomach. She threw everything together for chicken noodle soup, the kind her mother made when her and her three siblings all came down with the flu at the same time. She'd learned to make it for the times her mother couldn't be there to do it, and it became a mindless activity.

While she worked on the meal, her mind wandered back to Adrien. The biggest thing was that he wasn't well. According to Plagg, he wasn't eating when he wasn't with her, and she could feel it when she carried him to her bed. She could see it in his face and at how his clothes hung far more loosely than they ever had. The fact that she hadn't noticed sooner made her feel guilty, but she brushed that feeling away; guilt wouldn't help him get better right now, and would probably only make him feel worse if he knew.

And aside from that, Plagg also said he had ran from something. Alya couldn't make any guesses as to what, minus the obvious choice of his father, but he's never run away before. Worry ate away at her, and it took an enormous amount of effort for her to not think about worst case scenarios.

Instead, she moved to the third biggest part of the night: Adrien came straight to her house when he could. He trusted her enough to do that, enough to find safety and security with her. That meant the world to Alya, but even so, she made herself a promise that one day he wouldn't have to run from anything. He was such a great person, and so important and kind and gentle. He shouldn't have to run away from his home.

 _One day_ , she thought,  _One day, he'll be safe and happy. One day, he'll have a better home._  And then, though she believed it to be wishful thinking, she tacked on,  _And maybe it'll be with me._

Turning off the stove so that the soup could begin to cool a bit, she finally grabbed a small wheel of Camembert and headed back to the room. Handing it over for Plagg to take, Alya asked, "How's he doin'?"

"Exhausted, but I think he'll wake up soon," they said, taking the cheese and swallowing it in a single bite.

"That's good. And are you okay?"

"As long as the kid's fine, I'm fine."

Alya nodded in response, and lingered for a minute before leaving to get his soup. She poured two bowls, and took another piece of Camembert out, all the while thinking about the fourth largest piece of information she'd gotten that night: Adrien was Chat Noir.

In retrospect, it was obvious. He always seemed extra happy when people would compliment the hero, especially when her, Marinette, Nino, or Chloe did it. That would also explain why Chat Noir seemed to worry more than he ever did before about her getting hurt chasing akumas. And, when she had told him that she could handle herself, his answering 'I know' had genuinely shaken Alya by how honest he had sounded.

Realizing that she was just standing at the kitchen's island, she shook herself from her thoughts, grabbed the cheese and a couple of spoons, and headed back to her room. Voices, low and quiet, spilled from her room, and she stopped outside the door for a short moment.

"-safe here, kid. You don't have to worry, alright? Just stay here for the night, take it easy, and let her help you."

Alya waited with baited breath for Adrien's response, and finally a soft voice sounded. "Okay. You're right. I- I trust her, and I can't really do anything right now that would be helpful..."

"Right. So just lay back, and we can worry about this stuff later."

"Okay," Adrien repeated.

When Alya heard his settle back against her pillows, she took a deep breath and walked in. "Hey, Sundrop, how're you doin'?" she asked, her tone gentle.

Adrien perked up and gave her a small, but genuine smile. "Honestly? I don't feel very well right now." His eyes fell to the bowls in her arms. "What're those?"

"Soup. Because I heard you haven't been eating."

He winced at that. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. I don't know what's really going on, but I'll support you through all of it, okay? Here," she said, handing a bowl over to him.

"Thanks, Als," he said, his sincerity clear. He took a bite and sighed when he swallowed, visibly relaxing. "Wow. It's almost as amazing as you are," he breathed.

Alya could feel her cheeks warm at that. "Which mean's it's not as amazing as you either. Damn, I'll have to work harder next time," she said with a laugh.

He gave a weak chuckle and went back to eating. Alya looked to Plagg now, and held out the tiny wheel she had.

"Thought you might like a little more."

Plagg floated up and grabbed it, giving a nod in thanks before tossing and swallowing it whole once more.

Content that Plagg was fed and that Adrien was eating, she sat on the edge of the bed and started on her own bowl. About a quarter of the way through it, she felt Adrien moving and looked over.

"Wanna share?" he asked, patting the space beside him.

She obliged, and slid in next to him. The moment she was pressed against his side, his head fell to her shoulder and his hand reached for hers. Intertwining their fingers together, she gave a gentle squeeze and laid her head against his.

They ate in silence for a little while, the only sounds their breathing, Plagg's purring, and the eventual scraping of their spoons against their bowls.

That was one of the things Alya loved most about her relationship with Adrien; they could talk for hours on end, or not at all and be completely comfortable. Nothing about them was forced, and they were happy to simply be around one another. It came as easy as breathing, and their current silence was enough to lull her into almost falling asleep.

And then, she heard him.

Quiet. Heartbroken. Afraid. Vulnerable. Sad. Guilty.

All of them were in his voice when he spoke, and the shock of his words as they sunk in woke Alya up like being drenched with ice water.

"My father's Hawk Moth."


	2. In Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya and Adrien continue working through the problems at hand, with some help.

"Your... your father is Hawk Moth?" Alya repeated for the third time. She couldn't seem to wrap her head around it, it didn't make sense, and she-

She hadn't been thinking about Adrien. She knows now, why he ran away, and she can only imagine how in denial and distraught he was to find out. Glancing over at him, she saw hoe he wouldn't meet her eyes and how his free hand tapped against his leg, something she knew he did when he was nervous.

Pushing through her own denial of the situation, because she knew Adrien would never lie and had it worse, she curled her fingers around his even tighter.

"Okay. That's... well, it's far from okay, but at least he doesn't know your Chat Noir, right?" Her voice shook, just the tiniest bit, from fear that he  _did_  know who his son was.

"I don't know. I don't think he does? But... he might suspect..."

"Why might he?"

"Back during Jackady, he... took an interest in my ring. But he never said anything about it afterwards, and if he suspected I was Chat Noir, wouldn't he-" his voice broke- "wouldn't he stop trying to kill me?"

Alya honestly wasn't sure of what to say, so instead of saying anything, she pulled him into a hug and refused to let go. He was hesitant to return it, though she could tell he wanted to, and once he did, he started crying into her.

These weren't the same as the little cries Adrien had every now and again, when his father was too tough or when he failed a test he'd studied hard for. But this was sobbing that shook his body and hers, that tore through him so relentlessly that he needed to gasp for air. Even as his makeup rubbed off on her shirt from that day's photo shoot, Alya held on.

She rubbed comforting circles on his back, and offered promises that didn't exactly help with his current situation, but ones that she hoped made him feel better nonetheless. Plagg had flown and curled against Adrien's neck at some point Alya couldn't remember, and their ears drooped as they purred. Together, they gave all the calm and comfort they could give to Adrien, and eventually managed to lull him into a light sleep.

Afraid of waking him, she stilled her movements and took to observing him. His fingers were in claws, grasping at the fabric of her shirt. His face was red from crying so much, and there was snot still hanging from his chin. With great care, she took part of her shirt and wiped his face as clean as she could. Content with her work, she sighed and slowly leaned back into the pillows, pulling him with her. When he didn't wake up, she gave a few light pats and laid her head next to his once more.

Try as she might, it was of no use to her to continue trying to sleep just then. Of all the information she'd gained that night, the Hawk Moth part was the worst. Because that meant instead of caring for his child, Gabriel Agreste had been terrorizing Paris and its heroes. Because instead of being a father, he chose to be a villain, one who potentially knew he was hurting his own son.

That made Alya angrier than anything.

But she also knew she couldn't do anything about it. She was just a civilian, after all. But, then... Adrien had still come to her for help. So maybe even if she couldn't punt Hawk Moth into the sun like she so desperately wanted, she still was doing something.

She was helping to keep Adrien going, which was definitely more important to her than kicking his father in that very special spot. So, she supposed, she was doing something pretty important after all. Powers or no powers, she was helping.

Maybe, in the future, she'd get to do more. But for now...

Adrien shifted slightly, and sighed into the crook of her neck.

For now, she was doing enough. The thought of doing enough put her mind at ease, and soon sleep began to take over. And while she could never confirm it, just before her eyelids slid shut, she would swear she heard Plagg say, "You've got a good one, kitten."

When Alya woke, it wasn't because of the sunlight hitting her face, or the sound of Parisians shouting for one reason or another. No, she woke up because she was suddenly devoid of the warmth that had radiated from Adrien. Here eyelids flew open in a panic as she sat up, looking around bewildered.

"Adrien?" she called out. "Adrien, where are you? Adrien?" Climbing from her bed, she grew more frantic, enough so to shout, "Plagg?"

Silence, and she could hear her heartbeat quicken. And then-

"Ugh, kid, what's got you in such a tizzy?" a voice groaned from beneath the bed covers. Plagg peaked his head out and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Adrien, I don't see him, I don't hear him anywhere-"

"Relax, relax. He got a call from Nathalie. Kid's outside so he wouldn't wake you up."

"Oh. Okay. Okay. Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah, now lemme get back to sleep."

She did, and walked over to her window. Looking outside, she felt the panic slide off her shoulders when she saw Adrien sitting on the steps, phone to his ear. Relieved that he was still there, she moved to the kitchen and made a quick breakfast that consisted of homemade oatmeal and freshly cut fruits. Adrien wasn't inside yet, and she wanted to give him space, so instead of bringing his meal out, she grabbed aother hunk of cheese and went back to her room.

"There's cheese for you here whenever you want it," she told them. Without waiting for a response, she reached for her phone and dialed up a number she hoped would help.

It rang one, twice, three times before somebody answered it. "Hey, Alya, what's up?" Nino asked.

"Hey, Nino. Kind of a lot I guess? I can't really talk about it right now, but can you do me a favor?"

There was a pause, but when Nino spoke again, he sounded serious. "Yeah, sure, whaddya need?" Another voice said something. "Oh, and Chlo wants to know if she can do anything."

"Chloe's with you?"

"Affirmative, dude."

"Okay, cool, that's good. One less call I gotta make. Alright, so Nino, if you can, send me your 'Make Adrien Feel Better' playlists. And while you do that, I need to talk with Chloe."

"Sure, sure. I'll email em over. Make sure you tell him that I love him, yeah?"

"Of course. And thanks, Nino."

"No problem, dude. Here's Chlo."

There was a small scuffle as the phone switched hands, but it was over quickly, and Chloe's voice came through.

"What can I do? Is Adrien alright? Are you alright?" she fired off.

Alya chuckled a bit. "Yeah, yeah I'm alright. Adrien is... well, something pretty big happened, and it's not something I can talk about. But I called you guys to hopefully help him be alright again. As much as he can be, anyways."

"Look, I'm Adrien's best friend. And I'm your friend. So I'm not going to push for details because I know you both, but you'd better keep me updated on him, got it?"

"Obviously. I called you now, didn't I? So you guys weren't in the dark?"

"Still. I want a call every couple of hours, Césaire. Now, is there anything I can do to help Adrikins?"

"Okay, jeez, calm down. And yeah. I need you to tell me how you used to help Adrien, back when you were kids. I think the familiarity would help."

Chloe huffed, but answered anyways. "We used to make forts. They would shut out the world and it'd just be us, and for just a little while, we would be okay. It made him feel safe. He's also really into anime, so maybe watching a cute one would help. Just. Being there or him in general. Not forcing him to talk if he doesn't want to. I'm sure you already knew that, though."

"I did. But I didn't know about the forts, Thanks, Chloe, I owe you one."

"If you manage to help Adrikins, then consider us even. Give him our love." With that, Chloe ended the call, and Alya sighed.

"That one's a handful, isn't she?" Plagg commented, grinning.

"You're telling me," Alya said with a chuckle. "Even so, she's really reliable, and a good friend."

"Adrien thinks so too."

"I wouldn't expect anything else."

"Me either." Plagg grabbed their cheese and floated to the window. "I'll tell the kid you've got breakfast ready."

Opening the window, Alya nodded. "Alright, thank you."

"Sure."

They flew outside, and Alya watched until they made it to Adrien. With a hum, she dialed another number, put her phone on speakerphone, and started to drag blankets and pillows out to the living room.

Marinette picked up on the first ring. "Alya! How's my favorite person in the world?"

"Hey, Mari. I'm still kicking, that's somethin', right?"

"Yeah, yeah it is. You need to talk?" she asked, concern in her tone.

"Not now. Maybe later, but Adrien'll be back soon, and I have to focus on him right now."

"Als. You can't neglect yourself to care for him. You know he wouldn't want you to be doing that."

"I know. Don't worry, it's not that bad. I'll worry about myself tomorrow, but... he needs me right now." She checked the window to make sure he was still there, and went back to fort-making when she saw that he was. "Trust me."

"I do trust you. It won't stop me from worrying, but I definitely do trust you." She paused. "How's Adrien, then?"

"Thanks, Mari. That really means a lot from you. And Adrien's... well, something happened. I can't say what, but we're handling it. He's over my place right now, so we're dealing."

"You know if you guys ever need anything, I'm here for you both."

"We know. That's actually what I called you for."

"Oh? What can I do for ya?"

"Think you'll be able to drop off some fresh pastries later? And maybe that blanket he tries to steal every time he goes over?"

"Of course I can! I can come as soon as I shower, if you want?"

"That should be fine. Thanks, girl, you're a life saver. You can't see it, but I'm definitely giving you a smile."

Alya heard Marinette laugh. "Good, good. I'm gonna go get the stuff together, then I'll hop in the shower. See you later, and I hope you guys feel better! Love ya!"

"Love ya too, Sweets. See ya soon," Alya responded, hanging up. She took a look at her work thus far, and as somewhat pleased with the result. It looked a little small, but it was a fort, and she hoped it would suffice.

Just as she was about to go check on Adrien again, he stepped through the door. She grabbed one bowl and handed it to him. "Hope you like oatmeal, Sundrop."

"I don't think I've ever had oatmeal before," he said, laughing at the surprise on Alya's face.

"Oh, you poor, sweet boy, you've been missing out for so long," she teased lightly. He smiled in return, but it didn't reach his eyes. Grabbing her own bowl, and gestured for him to follow her and moved to the living room.

"Woah, what's this?" he asked.

"Well, I called Chloe, and she said when you guys were little, you would make forts. So I thought making one now would, I dunno, help a little, I guess. Nino was supposed to send me some music too, some of his feel-good playlists. And Mari's gonna come by a little later with some pastries!"

"Oh. That's, that's really sweet of you," he said in a shaky voice. Tears started to form in the corners of his eyes, but the smile this time was more genuine.

Alya set her bowl down and pulled him into a hug. Adrien shuffled them over so he could set his down too. The hug was returned, and they stayed together for a few short moments, both crying into the other. Adrien for what had happened and for his appreciation. Alya for what Adrien had to endure. Both were emotional, but their embrace served as a reminder that they were here, okay, safe, together. It gave them the strength to move past it.

"You really should eat," Alya told him, her voice muffled by his shirt.

Adrien played with her hair with one hand, and held onto her with the other. "I know," he replied. "I don't really feel hungry, though."

"Will you try?"

"Yeah. I will."

"Good," she said, and pulled back. She rubbed at her nose with the end of her sleeve and reached for her bowl once more. "You should settle into the fort, and I'll come right back with my laptop, okay?"

He answered silently, grabbing his meal, taking a bite, and settling down on the blankets and pillows piled within the blanket fort. Content with this, Alya ran to her room, grabbd her computer, and hurried back. Because of the construct's small size, it took a bit of maneuvering for both of them to get comfortable, but they eventually got it. Both of them sat propped up by the pillows, their sides pressed together so that they'd both fit under the covering blanket. That didn't leave a lot of room for leg space, but both were unconcerned by it.

It took about fifteen minutes for them to finish eating, after which Alya took the bowls and shoved them outside the fort. Adrien raised a brow at her.

"What? As far as I'm concerned, dirty dishes do not exist in our tiny kingdom."

He snorted. "Right, I'm sure they don't."

She rolled her eyes in return, and they fell into a heavy silence. When Alya had enough, she cracked and asked, "Do you want to talk more?"

"I mean, I do, but you said Mari was coming over, so... can we wait until she goes? I trust her with all my heart, but I just..."

Alya put her hand over his. "I understand what you're trying to say. She'd understand that you can't tell her, too. Don't worry, we can wait until she leaves. Until then, how about we get cracking on the playlists Nino sent us?"

"That sounds great," he said, relieved. He laid his head on her shoulder, and she set hers against his.

The laptop hummed to life, and it didn't take longer than a minute for it to start playing slow and peaceful music. Alya watched as Adrien closed his eyes, and felt as his fingers tapped to the beat- something she knew he'd picked up from playing the piano and from hanging out with Nino so often. It reassured her that he was fine just then.

Pulling her phone out, Alya tapped out a quick text to Marinette saying that she could let herself in, that way she and Adrien wouldn't have to move. She snuggled into Adrien's side and scrolled through her blog from her phone, making sure nothing was needed from her. It all checked out, and made Alya think of Ladybug and what Adrien would do with his news. But that was something she'd ask about later- for the time being, she heard a knock and the door open.

"Hello? Alya? Adrien?" Marinette's voice made its way to them. "The A Team?"

Alya tapped Adrien's shoulder to get his attention before calling back, "We're in the living room, Mari!"

The sound of her steps grew closer until they stopped outside the blanket fort. "Delivery for two lovebirds. Are there two lovebirds here?"

Adrien chuckled and Alya paused the music. He pushed the blanket covering the opening to the side and waved at Marinette. "Hey, Mar, I think I might be one of the lovebirds."

"I think you're right. Here you go, Monsieur," she said, handing over the box of pastries. "Oh, and I brought this too..." Reaching over to the side, she took out the large, green blanket that she'd brought along, the one Alya had specifically requested.

Adrien gasped and dropped the box beside him in favor of the blanket. "Seriously? You never let this leave the house!" he exclaimed. His face immediately pressed into the blanket and rubbed against it, in a way Alya thought was reminiscent of a cat. Both her and Marinette smiled at him.

"Well, it was Alya's suggestion," she said, turning her gaze to Alya for a quick wink. "And I figure it's about time I give it up. I don't use it much anymore, my self. So I'm hoping you wouldn't mind holding onto it."

"Thanks, Mari, I owe you one." He sighed into the fabric.

"No problem, and no ya don't. Just make sure to talk to me if you ever need to, okay?" Her voice was soft, and expression gentle as she said this. "You too, Als. Can't have anything happen to two of my favorite people, y'know."

"We know," Alya responded. "Thanks, girl, you're seriously the best."

"Yes, yes I am." She looked at her watch and winced. "Sorry to cut this short, but I've really gotta go." Too quick for Alya or Adrien to react, she hugged them and let go. "Call if you need anything else!" she shouted, running before the words were out of her mouth.

The door slammed shut, and silence filled the space.

"So... talk now?"

"Yeah," he sighed," that'd probably be for the best. Sorry for... before. I didn't mean to cry until I fell asleep."

"It's okay. You had a physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing day. You deserved to get some rest." A pause. "Did you sleep okay?"

"No worse than I usually do. So it was fine, I guess." He shrugged and slid down a bit.

"That's good, I think. Want to talk about your father or your eating habits next?"

"Um... eating habits?"

Alya watched him and turned his face towards her own. "We don't have to talk about it right now, if you'd rather get your mind off it." A small frown punctuated her words.

"I really don't want to talk about either, but putting them off won't help. I'd rather get it over with. Please."

"Okay. Alright, we can do that. But you'll tell me if it gets to be too much?" He nodded. "Good. So why haven't you been eating?"

"Well... I didn't really even notice at first. But the staff at my house stopped making me come out for meals, so sometimes I'd skip them when I was too focused on whatever I was doing. But it kind of started to get worse. I just... I stopped having the energy to do anything, let alone getting up to eat. Alone. Again. The loneliness really didn't help me out there." He grabbed Alya's hand and started to trace the lines on her palm. Alya could tell he wasn't really there, though. "I think I started to get depressed. But I couldn't really say anything to father. And I know Nathalie tries, she's really great, but I didn't want to tell her. It didn't feel right."

"That's okay," Alya told him, hearing the struggle in his voice over speaking about this. His body had tensed the more he talked, but relaxed slightly at her reassurance.

"So I didn't tell her, or anyone, save for Plagg. He tried really hard to help, in his own way. But I wouldn't listen, and some days, I just couldn't believe that I even deserved to eat. To be okay. Kind of punished myself for it by not eating. It was different when I was with you and the others, though. I didn't want you guys to worry, so I faked being okay. It was hard. I still think I deserved it."

"Oh, Adrien... You don't deserve any of that, any of those kinds of thoughts." She tugged him into a tight embrace and whispered to his ears. "I'm gonna help you through this, I promise you. And before you say it, no you're not a burden. It's a friend's job to worry, so try not to feel bad about that." She squeezed tighter. "You're not alone."

Plagg spoke up then, giving Alya a small start. "Hear that, kitten? You're not alone. Your girlfriend here wouldn't lie about that."

Adrien trembled in her arms. "I'm not alone," he repeated. "I'm not alone."

"You most certainly aren't. I'm here for you. Plagg's here for you. Mari's here, Nino's here, Chloe's here. I'm sure if I called any of our other friends, they'd have wanted to help too. And that's not including our families. You're not alone at all, Sundrop. I swear it."

"I'm not alone," he said again, repeating it under his breath like a mantra. Eventually, he breathed out, "Thank God, I'm not alone." He practically sagged against her, and finally moved to return the embrace.

"I know this isn't something that'll just go away after one talk," she started, quiet and serious. "I know that. But I'll continue talking through these things with you, anytime you need it, anytime at all. And if you don't want to talk, I'll still be here. I'll help you through it."

"What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?" he murmured.

Alya pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes. "I think that's what I should be asking you."

Adrien closed the distance between them, this time initiating a kiss rather than just a hug. It was short and sweet, made salty by the tears that fell down his face. It was enough for her to understand what he couldn't convey with words. Pulling apart, Adrien rested his forehead on her shoulder, and she kissed his head.

"Wanna take a break from the heavy stuff?"

"Please," he said with a sniffle.

"Do you wanna keep listening to music? Or we could watch one of your animes?"

"I know a great anime we could watch. And we could eat some pastries while we do so."

"Sounds perfect to me."

Plagg and Adrien exchanged a look. The former started, "Don't you mean..."

"Purrfect?" Adrien finished, laughing tiredly.

Alya rolled her eyes, but smiled and passed her laptop over to him.

A couple minutes passed, and the show began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was supposed to be two chapters but it was getting too long so three chapters it is! Side note, I'm not very content with how the conversations in this chapter flowed, so I might go back and edit.


	3. In Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is scared, but Alya does her best to make sure he isn't alone. Alya gets a little surprise

They'd made it through eight episodes of  _Ore Monogatari!!_  before Alya needed a break. It was cute and sweet, which fulfilled what Chloe had said, and it really seemed to calm Adrien down. He grew excited over it and pointed out his favorite parts, laughing or grinning widely when they'd go by.

Unfortunately, needing to use the bathroom was a thing, so at the end of the eight episode, she paused it.

"Hey, I'm gonna go use the bathroom real quick. And grab my laptop's charger. You need anything?"

"Aspirin, maybe? I kind of have a headache from... well, everything." He crawled out from the fort so she didn't have to climb over him. Standing up, he stretched and then offered her his hand. he took it and he pulled her to her feet. "Is it alright if I grab a glass of water and cheese for Plagg?"

"Yeah, that's totally fine." She went to the bathroom and continued to speak. "You know you don't even have to ask, right?"

"It's the polite thing to do," he called back.

"My, my, what a gentleman," she said with a smirk, despite him not being able to see her.

"I'm keeping chivalry alive, Alya, someone has to."

"Oh, of course, how silly of me."

"You  _are_  the silly one in this relationship."

She snorted and left the bathroom to wash her hands. "I'm the  _silly_  one? Bullheaded, stubborn, and maybe fun, but silly? You've got that one."

"But I don't blow bubbles in my drinks when we eat out."

"And I don't dramatically drape myself over the tables," she pointed out, leaving the sink behind. She found the aspirin in a kitchen cabinet and handed it over to Adrien. When he took it, she couldn't help placing her hand against his forehead. It was warm beneath her fingers, and she frowned. "All this stuff is really taking a toll on you..."

He shrugged, but didn't deny it. "I think that's pretty normal for finding out your father is a super villain."

"And for neglecting your health."

"Right. That too."

Adrien didn't say anything more on that, and Alya was on the edge of asking her question or not. She worried her lip and dropped her hand.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," she said, too quickly for it to be believable. He frowned at her and did his signature shoulder touch that conveyed everything he needed or wanted to say. She sighed, and her shoulders slumped. "I have a question for you. But I don't know if I should ask now, or wait for us to talk about your dad."

"It looks like it's bugging you. Let's just... get it and the whole 'my dad is Hawk Moth' conversation out of the way."

"Are you sure? I'd never want to rush this-"

"I'm sure. What we've already talked about has helped me feel a little better, so hopefully talking about this will help, too."

"Okay. Okay, alright, um... Are you going to tell Ladybug?" she asked, wincing when he grimaced.

"I don't know. I know i probably should, but... I don't even know where to find her. Or how to get in contact with her when she's not transformed."

"Well... you guys have scheduled patrols, can you join her on one of hers?"

"I mean, I can, but... I'm also scared. I could always just say that I know who Hawk Moth is, and I know she wouldn't question how I know, but she deserves more than that. And if I did tell her who he is, and told her how I figured it out... I'm afraid she would blame me for not figuring it out sooner."

Alya took his hand from her shoulder and held it between both of hers. "Adrien, she'd never-"

"I  _know_  she wouldn't," he groaned, "but that doesn't stop the fear that she would. Logically, Ladybug would never do that. But fear isn't logical, I can't- I can't stop thinking about it. What if she looks at me with pity, like the rest of Paris will do when they find out? I don't want pity, I just want things to be normal and okay again." His voice broke halfway through the word pity, and tremors ran through his frame.

"I know you do. I want that for you too. You... you'll get it one day," she promised, squeezing his hand in reassurance.

"I'm so, so scared, Alya."

"I know," she said, unable to say anything else. "I know."

* * *

 

When the news came out that Hawk Moth was defeated and revealed to be Gabriel Agreste, Paris was in an uproar. The haunted look in Adrien's eyes drove off all but the most skeevy reporters, who were quick to run when Alya came into the picture. Alya and his other friends- Ladybug included- supported him through the first few weeks, making it just a little easier for him to bear.

After hours of deciding what to do with the now parentless boy, it had been decided that Nathalie be the one to take him into her care until he was both old enough and stable enough to get on his own two feet. She wasn't the warmest person, but Alya could tell that she cared and wasn't going to kick him out as soon as he turned of age.

And even though his home was technically with her, she was understanding of his situation, and allowed for him to spend most nights at Alya's house. He didn't talk much anymore, but Alya never pushed him. She and Plagg did most of the talking.

On one of the rare nights where he stayed at Nathalie's, Alya had stepped into her oddly empty room. There was almost always somebody else in there with her after the Hawk Moth reveal, be it Adrien and Plagg, Ladybug, or Nino, Chloe, and Marinette. She took the opportunity to tidy up her space, throwing out the newspapers and magazines that Adrien couldn't help but bring over each time he'd stayed the night.

While she did so, her eyes landed on a small, ornate box she'd never seen before. Curious as she was, she opened it and stared, wide-eyed, at the orange ball of light that faded and revealed a kwami similar to Plagg.

"You must be Alya," the tiny fox said, a sly look on its face. "Charmed, I'm sure."

"I, uh..."

"Very articulate, kit. But nevermind that. I'm Trixx, and a couple somebodies put in a good word or two about you to the guardian."

"The guardian...?"

"The guardian," it repeated. "You get to be a superhero now, just like Tikki's, Plagg's, and Pollen's kids."

"Really?" Alya asked, the surprise beginning to fade into excitement.

"Yep."

"This is so cool! I've always wanted to be a hero, and now I can help them out more, and  _Adrien_ -" she faltered. "Adrien... I should tell him. So he at least knows. I don't want to keep it from him. That's not against the rules or anything, is it?"

"If you asked Tikki, she would say it is. If you asked Plagg, he'd tell you to do what you want. If you asked Pollen, she would dodge the question. But lucky for you, little fox, because you're asking Trixx, and I say you should tell him. Nothing good usually comes from these kinds of secrets anyways."

"Cool. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. Thanks, Trixx." She finally looked down at the necklace in the box. "I can't wait to give Adrien some good news for a change."

* * *

 

Later that night, when the newly transformed Alya knocked against one of Nathalie's windows, she was greeted by being pulled into a hug by her very surprised and relieved boyfriend. And in the morning, when Nathalie got up to check on the boy in her care, she left him and the hero he curled around be.

* * *

 

They were going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized mine posted and I forgot to post the ;ast chapter :') Sorry! I hope you enjoy ;u;; I tried to tie together a few of the prompts I was given, namely Alyadrien angst and the aftermath of Adrien finding out who Hawk Moth is.


End file.
